Lots of news including the Amazon.com DRM-free MP3 store, eBay was recently hacked leading to stolen credit card information, iPhones were unlocked then bricked then unlocked again, Zune adds podcast support, Bungie might split from Microsoft, Mac OS X Leopard is coming, and more!
Notes and links related to this episode:
- iUnlock released: the first free, open source iPhone SIM unlock software
- But then Apple announced that iPhone hacks (including SIM unlocking) void your warranty (further reading)
- Firmware 1.1.1 turned a lot of hacked iPhones into shiny, expensive bricks
- New hacks have resurfaced for 1.1.1 - see iphoneSimFree.com (and thus the cat-and-mouse game continues...)
- In related news, Steve Jobs announced via Apple's Hot News page that native third-party applications (i.e. not merely Web-based apps) will be coming to the iPhone (and iPod touch) in due time, and a software development kit (SDK) is planned for a February 2008 release
- Google Docs added support for slideshow presentation documents (including the ability to import PowerPoint files)
- Zune adds podcast support
- Bungie might split from Microsoft... which could potentially mean the return of a strong Bungie presence on the Mac
- eBay Hacked, personal credit card and contact information of at least 1,200 users stolen
- Amazon.com releases its own DRM-free, multi-OS compatible MP3 music download service
- Individual track purchasing is platform-independent (i.e. Linux compatible), but so far album purchasing is only available on Windows XP, Vista, and Mac OS X
- Apple seems to have responded to market pressure by dropping the price of iTunes Plus tracks (which are also DRM-free but come in the less ubiquitous AAC format) to 99 cents, the same price as DRM-encumbered iTunes tracks, and down from $1.29
- Mac OS X v10.5 "Leopard" is nearing release: Friday, October 26th (get $20 off for a limited time through this link!)
Josh's
- Task Manager tricks for Windows
- What happened to my Task Manager?? If your task manager's tabs and buttons seem to have mysteriously vanished, don't worry—you probably just accidentally double-clicked somewhere in the window. This is a feature, not a bug. Double-click in a blank area of the window to restore the default view.
- Can I go straight to the Task Manager in Vista? Yep; the keystroke Ctrl+Shift+Esc instantly brings up the Task Manager in Windows Vista, without going to a list of options first. The same command also works for Windows XP/2000 PCs, which bypasses the option list screen if the PC is on a domain (of course, if your Windows XP or 2000 PC is not on a domain, then the command does the same thing as Ctrl+Alt+Del).
- On newer Macs, if you have the volume muted and then plug in headphones, the Mac will automatically unmute so you can hear through the headphones. Then if you unplug your headphones, the Mac will mute again instantly!
- On Macs with volume keys on the keyboard: Hold Shift while pressing a volume key to temporarily disable the volume-change sound effect)
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